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Off Leadership

Off Leadership

By: Nathan Pali
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About this listen

Off Leadership is a history podcast about what happens when leadership goes wrong.

This show explores the most disastrous leadership decisions, toxic leaders, and catastrophic failures of judgmentfrom history—moments when ego beat wisdom, power drowned out accountability, and one decision changed everything for the worse.

Each episode dives into a real historical leadership failure: bad calls, blind spots, moral compromises, and overconfidence that led to collapse, revolt, defeat, or lasting damage. These are not stories of heroes and visionaries. They’re stories of bad leadership, mismanagement, hubris, and the human cost of getting authority wrong.

If you’re interested in leadership mistakes, historical failures, organizational collapse, power psychology, decision-making under pressure, and the lessons leaders usually learn too late—this podcast is for you.

Off Leadership isn’t about how to lead. It’s about how not to.

Because sometimes the clearest leadership lessons come from watching everything fall apart.

© 2026 Off Leadership All rights reserved. Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Nikolai Vavilov: Science vs. Ideology and Starvation

    Nikolai Vavilov: Science vs. Ideology and Starvation
    Feb 15 2026
    In this episode, we explore the compelling story of Nikolai Vavilov, a botanist and geneticist who risked everything to collect seeds and prevent famine in the Soviet Union. We examine his conflict with Trofim Lysenko and illustrate how ideology and the pursuit of certainty can lead to devastating consequences when prioritized over scientific truth and reality.          Chapters    00:00 Introduction to Vavilov    00:37 Vavilov's Vision and Work    03:33 The Rise of Lysenkoism    08:21 Vavilov's Arrest and Legacy
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    8 mins
  • James Buchanan: The President Who Did Nothing While America Fell Apart

    James Buchanan: The President Who Did Nothing While America Fell Apart
    Jan 16 2026

    James Buchanan entered the White House as the most experienced man in the room—and left it just as the Civil War began. In this episode, we explore how legalism, avoidance, and “calm restraint” helped push the United States toward catastrophe. A cautionary tale about leadership, paralysis, and the danger of mistaking neutrality for wisdom.
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    10 mins
  • The Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg's Mary's Heights

    The Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg's Mary's Heights
    Feb 14 2026
    In this episode, we explore the devastating leadership failure during the Battle of Fredericksburg, focusing on the Irish Brigade's doomed advance at Mary's Heights. We discuss the strategic missteps, the immense casualties, and the lingering questions about why the brigade was sent forward into an unwinnable battle.          Chapters    00:00 Introduction to Fredericksburg    00:43 Burnside's Ill-Fated Plan    04:44 The Irish Brigade's Advance    10:55 Lessons in Leadership Failure
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    9 mins
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